The Process

The full article

The Process

A couple of weeks ago, we published a blog post about Special Projects; keeping things quirky and different in your artwork design to match business aims. This week, we thought it would be good to give you more of an insight into the process we have adapted in #TeamQBC to ensure that our designs meet briefs and match those objectives as best as possible. With the nature of special projects – like a car wrap – the attention to detail is key, due to the potentially one-off nature of the design.

Step One: The Call

The first step in our process is to follow up any enquiries with a phone call. While emails are the convenient communication tool, they can sometimes have a ‘text message reputation’ in that they cannot fully be read into and understood: they are impartial to tone and don’t always convey a brand’s personality. This stage is imperative where related to a new client.

Step Two: Client Visit

We then get the client into QBC for a meeting to give us the full briefing. Essentially this is like one big brainstorm to get across exactly what the client requires, while also allowing us to nurture any relationships and set expectations like time frames.

Step Three: Designer Briefing

During the next stage, the creative juices start flowing. Three designers are chosen to collaborate on the project. In this, the three will create their own impression of the brief which eventually go back to the client as our options for the project.

Step Four: Think Tank

For those of you who don’t know, the Think Tank is our alternative to a meeting room. It is where we get together to share updates, brainstorm and form creative processes. In this stage, the chosen designers come together to discuss and evaluate the ideas to form a plan and strategy about how to go back to the client, and what creative steps are needed next.

Step Five: The Presentation

Once the designers have collaborated and evaluated, they form a presentation of their designs which gets sent through to the client. The ideas are often annotated with thought processes, and why the pieces look like they do, so that it is easy to understand the conclusions drawn and envisage the meaning behind the piece. One piece will be chosen from this, going forward.

Step Six: The Collaboration

This stage is where the client becomes more active in the creative process. The chosen designer communicates closely with the client to ensure there are no misinterpretations of what is required. This stage allows the design to be tweaked and altered until it completely meets the brief and the client is happy with how it looks.

The Final Step: Completion

Upon completion, the design then goes to print and is created in its intended format: beer buckets, car wraps, the lot.